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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

31 Ranked Colleges
4,393 Degrees Awarded
$23,230 Avg Salary
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

With 155,377 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, visual and performing arts is the 10th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,427 and had an average of $28,377 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 5,876 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,817 and $32,020 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,393 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 31 colleges that offered a degree in visual and performing arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent visual and performing arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the visual and performing arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 220 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $6,452 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, UChicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $7,934 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UChicago

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 257 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UIUC

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $13,560 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Eastern Illinois University

#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $13,705 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 137 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, NIU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,346 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full NIU Visual & Performing Arts Report

#7

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $19,691 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Wheaton College Illinois

#19 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 146 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #19 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,912 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend WIU.

Full WIU Visual & Performing Arts Report

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 279 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $19,080 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Illinois State University

#25 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 103 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #25 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,985 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at SIUC

#12

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Millikin has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,390 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Millikin.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Millikin University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#24 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 40 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#14

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,841 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Olivet Nazarene University

#15

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

North Park University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Park, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,813 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend North Park.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at North Park

#16

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. Augustana College is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 41 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $21,453 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Augustana

#17

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of St Francis is $14,220 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of St Francis

#18

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Lake Forest College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

Lake Forest also took the #11 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Lake Forest College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Lake Forest

#19

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 50 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $19,703 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst Visual & Performing Arts Report

#20

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,653 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Knox College.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $18,582 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Dominican University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#22

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Bradley University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $22,865 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley Visual & Performing Arts Report

#23

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

North Central College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $23,353 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full North Central Visual & Performing Arts Report

Trinity International University - Illinois came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. TIU Illinois is a small school located in Deerfield, Illinois that handed out 14 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Trinity International University - Illinois is $17,441 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at TIU Illinois

#25

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 96 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $21,870 for illinois bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Roosevelt Visual & Performing Arts Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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